By Amy Oprean
Special to The State News
Bernadetta Kozakiewicz, 32, smiled as she walked up the aisle of the Howell High School Freshman Campus auditorium on Monday — in hand, a certificate declaring her a citizen of the United States.
"I wanted to feel important too," said the dental assistant, who lives in Auburn Hills. "Not that I don't feel important in Poland, but here there is more security. Over there, you don't know what tomorrow is going to be like."
A lawfully admitted U.S. resident since moving from Poland 13 years ago, Kozakiewicz took an oath of citizenship with 189 other people from 54 different countries and is now eligible to vote and apply for a Social Security number and U.S. passport. Mike Rogers, R-Brighton, was among the speakers at the event.
"These new citizens played by the rules, studied hard to learn how American government works and what their responsibilities will be as citizens and waded through tons of paperwork to get to this date of celebration," Rogers said in a written statement. "They will realize their dream of being Americans, able to vote and participate in a democracy that is envied around the world."
Swearing-in ceremonies are held weekly at Detroit's District Court, usually consisting of about 70 people, with larger ceremonies held around the state, said Keli Bonner, a contract employee of Perot Systems Government Services.
Life in the United States has been a change of pace for Saginaw resident and new U.S. citizen Lumpeny Hall, 34. In her case, it was a shift toward peace compared to her home in Nagaland, an area in northeastern India frequented with rebel shootings and bombings.
"The Indian army is constantly stationed there," said her husband Todd Hall, 36. "Every now and then they have skirmishes. There were shootings a mile away from where we stayed the last time we were there."
It was the couple's pen-pal relationship rather than the violence, however, that led Lumpeny Hall to move across the globe.
"It started with a Bryan Adams fan club," said Todd Hall, explaining how he first struck up a correspondence with his future wife. "It took me six trips (to India) to convince her to marry me, even though I asked her on the second."
The couple has two children, Evelyn, 2, and 15-month-old Brenan and live in Michigan because of Todd Hall's family business, Glastender Inc., in Saginaw. Even though she made her home here, Lumpeny Hall still misses Nagaland.
"Before we had kids, I'd visit my parents twice a year, but that's not really possible now," said Lumpeny Hall, who is of Mongolian descent like many people from Nagaland. "I miss the food and I miss family."
Also taking the oath of citizenship, after moving to the United States for a future spouse, was University of Michigan geological research scientist Josep Maria Pares, 44. He said he moved to Michigan seven years ago from Spain after meeting his then wife-to-be Debra when he was visiting a scientist at the university.
Pares said the United States has a different concept of how to enjoy life than Spain.
"I kind of miss the way people spend so much time outdoors there," Pares said. "The way people make a point of getting together and seeing each other."
For Kozakiewicz, the transition has been relatively easy because she is able to maintain Polish citizenship and has family members who have moved back and forth between Poland and the United States since World War I.
"We celebrate everything that's Polish here," she said. "I'm never going to give that up."
